We acknowledge that Wellington Secondary School is located on the unceded, ancestral, and traditional territory of the Snuneymuxw Coast Salish people

We're always looking for better ways to connect with our Wildcat families. We hope you enjoy reading about the latest news at Wellington!

As we cross the threshold of halfway through the school year, I want to congratulate Wellington students on all of their accomplishments to date and express our gratitude for our amazing students who make us proud every single day. First semester/second term report cards will be available on February 7th and we encourage you to have discussions about what went well and where there may be opportunities to work toward even greater success in the latter half of the school year. This is an excellent time for students to set (and write down) short-term and long-term goals with plans for how to reach those goals. One aspect of student life that we know leads to academic, personal and career success is developing a solid work ethic. We encourage all students to set goals that include:

· Arriving to class on time and prepared

· Employing learning strategies that make sense for individual learner profiles

· Requesting help when needed

· Completing work on time

· Reviewing teacher feedback for ways to improve and extend understanding

· Taking pride in a job well done

Our teachers, counsellors and support staff are very skilled at helping students set realistic goals with plans to reach those goals and we are very appreciative when the adults at home are involved in the process. It is always so much better when we work together to support our community of learners.

Speaking of planning, the course selection process is getting underway for the 2023-2024 school year. Course selection assemblies are on February 8 and 9 and the course selection process is open now on MyEd for those who wish to do so from home. If you have any questions about choosing courses for next year, please reach out to your school counsellor.

As you may be aware, the Ministry of Education has mandated that all Grade 12 students starting with next year’s Grade 12s must complete at least 4 credits in Indigenous focused coursework to graduate. See the announcement here: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/education-training/k-12/support/indigenous-focused-graduation-requirements

To ensure that Wellington students meet this requirement, we will be offering English First Peoples 12 to all learners in Grade 12 next year. English First Peoples 12 is equivalent to English 12, is recognized by colleges and universities as such, and meets the Grade 12 Language Arts and the Indigenous focus course requirements. Please see the course curriculum here: https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/curriculum/english-language-arts/12/english-first-peoples

We are looking forward to a great second semester and to planning for the next school year ahead. As always, please feel free to contact us should you have any questions or concerns, or you just want to share some great news.

Hay ch q’a / Thank you / Merci

Andrea Davidson - Principal

The upcoming months will be busy for the band program! Senior students will be attending Surrey Jazz Festival at the end of February. Three of our students are also part of the Surrey Rep Bands. Congrats to Ava Rhianni, Sandro Jost and Thea Guitard.

Many of the jazz band students will be attending the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival in April.

Our students have been fortunate to participate in live workshops and clinics. The next workshop is February 27 at 3pm with Grammy-Nominated pianist Geoffrey Keezer and vocalist Gillian Margot on vocals.

Upcoming Fundraisers:

• Bottle Drive - April 1st
• Spring Hanging Basket Fundraiser – April 2023
• Purdy’s Easter Fundraiser – March 2023

Upcoming Band Dates:

• Geoffrey Keezer Gillian Margot Clinic - February 27th 3–7 pm concert
• Surrey Jazz Feb 24- 26th – Sr Jazz Band, Grade 10 Jazz Band and Combos
• Lionel Hampton Festival – April 20-23 – Grades 9 -12
• Vancouver Island Concert Band Festival – Port Alberni – April 11 or 12 all concert bands
• West Coast Jazz Festival – all Jazz Groups – VIU – April 26/27 – In Person
• MusicFest Cananda – Canadian Nationals – Niagara Falls – May 17 -21
• Sr Spring Concert – May 23
• Jazz Affair – May 26 possible performances
• Jr Spring Concert – June 6

February 6 - Non-Instructional Day

February 7 - Non-Instructional Day

February 20 - BC Family Day

February 21-23 - Grad Photo Retakes

March 10 - Last Day of Classes before Spring Break

March 13–24 - Schools Closed for Spring Break

March 27 - Schools re-open

April 7 - Good Friday

April 10 - Easter Monday

April 21 - Start of Term 4

April 24 - 28 - Graduation Assessments

May 11 - Non-Instructional Day

May 12 - Non-Instructional Day

May 22 - Victoria Day

May 23 - Senior Band Concert in the MPR - 7pm in MPR

June 6 - Junior Band Concert in the MPR - 7pm

June 19–23 - Graduation Assessments

June 28 - Graduation Commencement Ceremony

June 30 - Administrative Day

Join Mrs. Balcombe for help with your homework!

Monday to Thursday - 3-5pm

Fridays - 2-4pm

Congratulations to students who successfully completed semester 1 this past week. We have started a new semester and it’s a chance to begin again and set new goals. February is a busy month with the start of a new semester and the process of course selections for next year.

In the coming weeks, students will get the opportunity to complete course selections through their MyEd account. If students or families have questions about this, we encourage you to reach out to your counsellor! Now is also a good time for students in grade 10, 11, and 12 to ensure they’re checking in with their counsellor about their grad program and the progress they are making toward graduation.

If you need to contact your child’s counsellor:

Last name A to Go – Ms. Crystal Linn crystal.linn@sd68.bc.ca

Last name Gr to Pa – Ms. Kate Gustafson kate.gustafson@sd68.bc.ca

Last name Pe to Z – Ms. Shannon McRae Shannon.mcrae@sd68.bc.ca

On Thursday, January 26, our Wildcats put on shoes that wouldn’t damage our gym floor (thank you!) and danced up a storm for a very good cause.

Wellington students raised $3000 for Coldest Night of the Year and we couldn’t be more proud of our Wildcats for their enthusiasm and respectful behaviour. By all reports, it was a very good time!

Special thanks to Kaila Keppel who worked tirelessly to organize the dance (and the people) and huge gratitude to all of the volunteer students, parents and staff who helped make the evening possible.

Please check the scholarship website frequently for updates https://sites.google.com/learn68.ca/scholarships/home

On February 24, 2021 the Nanaimo Ladysmith Schools Foundation scholarship pool and District Authority applications will close at 12pm sharp (no exceptions!). For more information on how to apply please see instructions here https://sas.nlsf.ca/App-Login.aspx

The Student Transcripts Service is an online application that allows current and former students to access their secondary school transcripts, certificates, scholarship information, course assessment and examination marks. Students can also order and electronically send transcripts to post-secondary institution. In many cases this is required. For details, please https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/education-training/k-12/support/transcripts-and-certificates/about-studenttranscripts

To assist you and your student with this process, we have several things happening in the next few weeks.

1. Course Selection is open on MyEducationBC from January 30 - February 15. Students can log in and choose their courses anytime during this period. Students who miss this time frame can see their counsellors for assistance.

2. Course Selection information, including an instructional presentation, course description booklet, and a guiding worksheet are posted on the Wellington School website under Students & Parents and Course Selection in the drop down menu.

3. Course selection assemblies are happening on Wednesday, February 8 and Thursday, February 9. Classes will be called to the MPR to see the presentation, log into MyEducationBC and enter their courses.

4. Drop in course selection assistance will be available in G and E blocks on Friday, February 10 in the Learning Commons.

Course selection is an important process and it is helpful to gather as much information as possible while making choices. Please take a look at the course selection booklet and presentation this week. If you have any questions, please contact your school counsellor, or have students bring their questions to the course selection assembly. Also, feel free to speak with the classroom teachers about any of the courses listed in the booklets.

Upcoming report cards and course selection will require the use of parent and student MyEd BC portals.

If you already have an account but don't remember your password, please click "I forgot my password" link. You will then have an automated rest email send to you.

Please contact the main office if you do not already have an account.

Email: info.WE@sd68.bc.ca
Website: https://we.schools.sd68.bc.ca/
Location: 3135 Mexicana Road, Nanaimo, BC, Canada
Phone: 250-758-9191